Influx of migrants helps shore up economy but spending still soft

Migrants are helping keep the economy afloat. (Image: Getty)

Wed, 15 Nov 2023

The ongoing influx of migrants continues to help keep the New Zealand economy afloat but isn’t enough to offset a slide in spending.There was a record net migration gain of 118,800 in the year to Sept 30, mainly driven by migrants from India, the Philippines, China, Fiji and South Africa, Statistics New Zealand said.Before the covid-19 pandemic, non-NZ citizens were the main driver of the annual net migration gains, with recent September years (2015-19) averaging net gains of 61,300 non-NZ citizens a year.Total long-term migrant arrivals...

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